Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says hes taking the sugar off the table by shutting the door on all refugees registered with the United Nations in Indonesia. Morrison says Australia will no longer accept asylum seekers who apply for resettlement after July 1 through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office in Indonesia. The minister has rejected claims the ban extends to UNHCR applicants in other countries. The governments announcement only applies to Indonesia, he said. Refugee advocates and the Greens have criticised the decision as cruel and hard-hearted. But Mr Morrison says the refugee convention wasnt set up so that people could go forum shopping. People think they can transit, sit in Indonesia and use that as a place to gain access to Australia, he told ABC radio. This is designed to stop people flowing into Indonesia. Its taking the sugar off the table. sbs.au/news/article/2014/11/19/scott-morrison-defends-ban-unhcr-refugees
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 00:21:15 +0000